Food poisoning
can lead to other adverse health effects, some of which are long-term and
serious. For instance, new studies have been revealing that Salmonella and
campylobacter can lead to very long-term issues with Inflammatory Bowel
Disease (IBD), says Reuters.

When
someone contracts a diarrheal sickness as a result of Salmonella or
campylobacter, their odds of developing IBD increase as does the risk for
being ill with the disease for 15 or more years following the initial
infections, said Reuters. The risk is significantly higher when the person
has been hospitalized for the illness, according Dr. Henrik Nielsen from
Aarhaus University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark, said Reuters, which noted
that Dr. Nielsen and his colleagues reported in the recent issue of the
journal Gastroenterology.

In
June we wrote that a study found that people who have suffered from
Salmonella or Campylobacter infections are three times likelier to develop
(IBD). The risk increased to five-fold if the patient was hospitalized close
to the illness, noted Reuters. More than 600,000 Americans have some kind of
IBD every year.

IBD
encompasses a group of disorders, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s
disease, which cause the intestines to become inflamed. IBD can cause
abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and bleeding from the
intestines. According to WebMD previously, genetics, environment, diet,
abnormal blood vessels, infections, immune-system overreaction, and
psychological factors all have been cited as possible causes of IBD.

The
team looked at IBD risks in 13,148 patients with documented cases of
gastroenteritis that was caused by Salmonella or Campylobacter compared with
26,216 healthy people over seven and a-half years, said Reuters. The team
found that first-time IBD diagnosis was more prevalent in gastroenteritis
patients—107 or 1.2 percent—versus the healthy control group (at 73, or 0.5
percent), especially during the first year, reported Reuters.

Salmonella
and campylobacter are among the most common pathogens associated with food
poisoning and, it seems, IBD can be listed as a possible long-term
consequence of these food borne infections. Unfortunately, it is not the only
one. Victims of both infections are at risk of developing a form of reactive
arthritis called Reiter’s Syndrome. Reiter’s Syndrome typically affects large
weight-bearing joints such as the knees and the lower back. Campylobacter
infections are also associated with the development of Guillain-Barré
Syndrome. This potentially paralyzing illness can leave victims with mild to
severe neurological damage.

Other
food borne illnesses can also have long-term consequences, as well. E. coli
victims sometimes require kidney transplants and may also have scarred
intestines that cause lasting digestive difficulty. Even E. coli patients who
supposedly recovered can experience long-term health problems later on. For
instance, it is estimated that 10 percent of E. coli sufferers develop a
life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, in
which their kidneys and other organs fail.